changing of the guard

So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.

Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight."

Numbers 27:18-19

This is how leadership first transitioned in ancient Israel. Israel at the time was a people in the wilderness, but soon they would cross over into Canaan to take possession of the land God promised to them. And Moses will not be their leader when the new generations took the Promised Land. Now Joshua shall lead.

God made it clear that the people need to see and experience the smooth changeover. Moses would commission Joshua as his successor. The priest would bless Joshua as God's appointed leader. The congregation would witness and affirm the new leader.

Moses was a leader to the end. His last recorded prayer was for God to appoint a new shepherd for Israel (see Numbers 27:15-17). His last official act before hiking up the mountain to view the land and die was to appoint Joshua as Israel's leader. This changing of the guard was necessary, good, and brought glory to God. 

Who killed Jesus?

this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Acts 2:23-24

Jesus gave His life for us. His sacrifice was no accident. It wasn't just cruel injustice that crucified Him. It wasn't just a religious conspiracy to silence Him. It wasn't just poltical expediency that reluctantly allowed His execution. All of these factors certainly were at work in the events that led to Calvary's cross, but Jesus died in fulfillment of the Father's will and it was a direct working out of the definite plan of God.

Jesus willfully laid down His life, predicted His own death and resurrection, and obeyed His Father perfectly in all things in the unfolding of those events. And death could not hold Him. God raised Him up on the third day just as Jesus Himself told His disciples. And in that way our salvation was secured. Jesus didn't just die. He died for our sins and was raised for our hope!

In a very real sense nobody killed Jesus. No one is held responsible for His murder. Jesus laid down His life according to God's plan and foreknowledge. If anything, my sins, your sins, the sins of all people of all time were the "cause" of His death. But He is not dead! He is alive right now because death was defeated by Him for us. And in the darkest events in human history, a new eternal hope has arisen by the work of a now empty cross and empty tomb! Praise Him!

refreshing hearts

For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Philemon 7

Paul had to intercede for a young son in the faith with this short letter to Philemon. Thankfully, he was writing to a mature believer who was intimately connected in the fellowship of the Body of Christ. Philemon loved the church, ministered within the church, and had a reputation for refreshing the hearts of fellow Christians.

Paul appeals to this love that Philemon had for Christ and His church to help him do the same for Onesimus.Onesimus was Philemon's runaway slave. Somehow this slave made an escape, probably stealing from his master as he did so, and then fled to Rome. There, God in His sovereign mercy, put Onesimus in contact with Paul, and the gospel set him free! Now Paul urges Onesimus to return to his master, and for Philemon to forgive and receive Onesimus back into his household as a forgiven brother in Christ. It is a test of Philemon's commitment to the Body of Christ. It is a beautiful picture of just what the church is to be.

Because of the love Philemon had for all the saints, we see the culture of forgiveness already in his household. The gospel-shaped worldview of Philemon could love even a criminal who wronged him. It could extend grace to sinners, even trusted sinners who hurt him. It led him to forgive just as Christ forgives us. And this is how the gospel is truly refreshing!

The Call

But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

Amos 7:15

Simple men but faithful at their task

were the type of men God would ask

to take His word to His nation

and speak for Him with determination

A shepherd and keeper of fig trees

Amos was called to speak what God would please

confronting kings, warning of sword

the prophet delivered the word of the Lord

Even today simple men reach

the world with the gospel call to preach

good news to mankind's sinful situation

proclaiming God's Word is their occupation

A call from God is sounding clear

to those He equips to know and to bear

gospel teaching to every land

empowered by God's almighty hand

protection from invasion

A man without self-control

is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Proverbs 25:28

The analogy of this proverb could be no more clear. It is dramatic. Self-control protects a person from being invaded, overrun, and destroyed. Ancient cities had walls to protect against enemy invasion. A city without them was an easy target. It would be invaded. Walls kept the city safe, its citizens protected, and its culture intact.

Personal self-control is just like that for the soul. It protects a man from invasion. And Satan and the sinful systems of this world love nothing more than to find a man without walls. His soul is easy pickings. He's as good as already broken into. Without self-control, the battle is already lost.

Self-control is vital. Discipline of the heart, hands, and emotions is not easy. But we are not alone. We have an ally Who does most of the hard work for us: The Holy Spirit. You see, we already have a strategy to keep enemies away from the city of the heart. It is the Word of God. And we have the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us away from temptation. We also have the grace of Jesus Christ that forgives, redeems, and patches broken spots (I have so many) in the walls of our self-discipline so that we need not fear (2 Timothy 1:7). The Spirit of self-discipline will keep us from invasion.

praise all day

Blessed be the name of the LORD

from this time forth and forevermore!

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

the name of the LORD is to be praised!

Psalm 113:2-3

Every morning I can look to the east and have one more reason to praise the Lord. God has given me another day. With it I can praise His name and bring glory to His Son, for Jesus has saved me and given me this day that He has made. And every evening I can look to the west at the end of another day's labor for the Lord, and thank Him for what He has blessed me with now and forever.

Lord,

This day You are giving me is another day to worship You. Life certainly has its challenges, but they are trivial in the light of Who You are in this new day. Lord Jesus, may I delight in saving faith and the incredibly blessed life that You have given me to share with others. Holy Spirit, may You warmly lead me through this day. Father, this day is meant for Your praise just as much as eternity is meant for it. Thank You, Lord, that Your Word has called me to praise as the sun moves to illumine my day with its first warm rays. May the light of the gospel shine in what I say and do today, now and forevermore, for Your great name's sake.

Amen

a question about celebration

And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.

2 Chronicles 5:6

At the consecration of the brand new temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, Solomon threw a party like Israel had never seen. And it was all an act of worship. He was celebrating the worship of God as His presence now dwelt in Jerusalem. The ark was brought to the temple, and the joy of the people at the presence of God was the most visible act of worship you can imagine.

I've sometimes heard of Sunday services referred to as "worship celebrations", but this scene at the dedication of the temple has to be hard to beat. So many animals were offered in sacrifice that they lost count. They didn't even bother to try. Imagine that... what if Christians gave so much in an offering that the ushers had to get wheelbarrows and couldn't count it all? That's the kind of joy that went on in Jerusalem on that day.

It makes me want to check my heart when I enter church on Sunday. Am I there to joyfully celebrate my salvation? Am I there out of gratitude to God for what Jesus did for me, or is it just duty? The soul that delights in God will have a party in mind when it worships. And it is a joy that does not fade. We'll be celebrating at the supper of the Lamb, so shouldn't we celebrate at His Table with the congregation on the Lord's Day?